Dutch speed skaters shone on the opening day of the ISU speed skating world championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, with Jenning de Boo and Femke Kok dominating the men’s and women’s 500m and 1,000m races, showcasing the host country’s prowess.
De Boo, who narrowly missed out on Olympic gold in the 500m and 1,000m events to American skater Jordan Stolz at the recent Winter Olympics, delivered a strong performance on home ice. The 22-year-old broke Stolz’s 2025 track record in the 500m, clocking an impressive 33.78 seconds.
In the 1,000m race, De Boo set a time of 1:06.52, with Stolz finishing 0.62 seconds behind him. De Boo currently leads the men’s overall standings at the championships, followed by Stolz and Chinese skater Zhongyan Ning, the Olympic 1,500m champion.
On the women’s side, Kok, the world record holder in the 500m and an Olympic champion, continued her exceptional form by breaking her own track record in the 500m race, finishing in 36.67 seconds. With Olympic champion Jutta Leerdam absent from the competition, Kok took the spotlight, leading the women’s overall classification ahead of Suzanne Schulting and Marrit Fledderus.
The Dutch dominance was further emphasized with Kok and Schulting securing a Dutch 1-2 finish in the 1,000m race. The atmosphere at Thialf was electric, echoing the success of the Dutch team at the recent Winter Olympics.
The competition, which includes both sprint and all-round championships, will continue with the second set of 500m and 1,000m races for both men and women on Friday, while the all-round championships will take center stage over the weekend.
